Mr Reginald Freeson: The hon. Gentleman is entitled to a view on his judgment of the present political mood. However, his opening remarks were unfortunate. They were not conducive to sensible and to medium and long-term political discussion. The hon. Gentleman should not have started by virtually foreclosing on the option discussed by my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith, North (Mr. Soley) and by many other...
Mr Reginald Freeson: I agreed with the general thrust and most of the content of the speech of the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Arnold). I also appreciated the manner in which he addressed the House. I support his commendation of the initiative of the Prime Minister in meeting the Prime Minister of the Republic fairly early in her period of office. I hope sincerely that as soon as the new Republican...
Mr Reginald Freeson: Over the years, that thought has regularly come into my mind. Together with a small minority of Members of Parliament, I helped, within weeks of entering the House in 1964, to form what was then called the Campaign for Democracy in Ulster. From then on I became closely associated with the civil rights movement. Thus, I was very much aware of what happened to the movement and of our efforts...
Mr Reginald Freeson: The right hon. Gentleman has talked, rightly, at great length about the principle of consent, whether it is a matter of pragmatic practice or of constitutional principle. All the concentration on that aspect should not ignore the fact that it is open to Governments of any political party to consider alternatives and to seek to persuade people that there are alternatives. If the Government...
Mr Reginald Freeson: I shall concentrate on London, my constituency and the role of the construction industry. Some of my remarks will follow on from some of the observations of the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Silvester). I start by suggesting that none of us should be too disdainful of debates and arguments in the House and elsewhere in public life. The hon. Member for Withington should do us...
Mr Reginald Freeson: There has been reference to the excessive cost of building a high-level station to replace the concept of a temporary station at Worship Street. Is the hon. Gentleman aware of any consideration being given by British Rail to bringing forward the Graham Road curve so that the part of the project where it terminates within the development can be advanced to a time a great deal earlier than the...
Mr Reginald Freeson: I shall be brief. The development of Liverpool Street station is long overdue. I do not wish to traverse history and to recount how long it has taken to reach this stage. Hon. Members who have followed the matter over the years will know the time that it has taken. The project should have been in hand many years ago. I do not wish to say or do anything that will hold up the project....
Mr Reginald Freeson: Would not the matter be resolved if British Rail undertook to provide the high level station within the development area at the start of the project instead of providing temporary accommodation at Worship Street station?
Mr Reginald Freeson: That would be too much to expect.
Mr Reginald Freeson: However one views the rightness or wrongness of this, until recently one sector of rented housing was losing about 100,000 properties per year, which was made good by the construction of at least that number in the public sector. Today, however, more than 200,000—almost a quarter of a million—rented dwellings in the private and public sectors are being lost every year, but only 30,000 to...
Mr Reginald Freeson: First, I put on record my interest in matters that are the subject of the Bill. In an honorary capacity, I am associated with several charitable housing associations. Much has recently been made by the Secretary of State, the Minister for Housing and Construction and the Prime Minister of the alleged failure of local authorities to spend their capital provision, despite their having been...
Mr Reginald Freeson: I condemn any obsession in housing, from wherever it comes. However, let me make it quite clear that I do not consider it obsessional when Labour Members or, indeed, Conservative Members have for many years campaigned against, and taken action to rectify, the disgraceful condition of many parts of private sector rented accommodation. A large part of public sector housing, at least until...
Mr Reginald Freeson: Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the two main objectives of reform should be the more effective expansion or development of type certification and the simplification of the consultation process, to foreshorten it? Will the hon. Gentleman please accept that the Bill does nothing to help in that way or to reduce the complexity and bureaucracy of the system?
Mr Reginald Freeson: Would my hon. Friend advise Conservative Members to go to the Library instead of laughing and get a copy of the published Bill of the Labour Government? The tenants' charter which the Tories took over and partly amended downwards was published and it was intended that it should be put in legislation before the 1979 general election.
Mr Reginald Freeson: In the light of the right hon. Gentleman's statement only a week ago will he confirm that between 30 per cent. and 40 per cent. of the 2 million people involved have bought their homes by voluntary negotiation rather than under the statutory rights provided by the Act to which he has referred?
Mr Reginald Freeson: rose—
Mr Reginald Freeson: Will the Minister give the statistics for the adaptation of people's homes in the local authority and housing association sectors? What action has been taken by both the Minister and his hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction to make sure that section 3 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 is operated in practice? Will the Minister give us figures for the...
Mr Reginald Freeson: How much money?
Mr Reginald Freeson: Is the Secretary of State aware that I have been asking his hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Construction, since June at least, to switch resources within Government programmes because of the prospects of underspend? I have not yet had a reply to the specific proposals that I put to him and invited him to meet me upon. More specifically, will the right hon. Gentleman advise local...
Mr Reginald Freeson: Bearing in mind the additional burden that high rates have on rents for council tenants and, indeed, many other house occupants, will the Secretary of State advise local authorities to use significant proportions of their capital receipts—to which he referred this afternoon—to reduce the rates burden; and possibly rents, too?